If you don't believe in an afterlife, what is your motivation?

[Reach]

As I see it, life is a pretty unique gift, and I only have one shot at it. There is no way to escape it alive, so you have to take it for what it is.

The universe is a pretty messed up yet magnificent place. I am always in awe when I look at the shere space and mystery the universe contains...it's amazing that something like this could actually exist, God or no God. It just fascinates me, and I enjoy learning and experiencing more of it each day. Just being one little part of the big picture is a nice feeling, and I'm grateful I was born with the amazing ability to explore it and share deep thoughts and feelings with other people.

I'm not one to believe that anyone or anything necessarily gives you purpose in your life. Purpose is derived from within, and as such the 'meaning of life' is an irrelevant question. The real question is, what is the meaning of YOUR life, and as you shape and explore this universe it inevitably becomes what defines you within the big picture.

I don't require some superficial notion that my body is merely a vessel into a world that is better than this one to see that life is something greater than myself. We are human beings, a natural creation of the universe. The very fact that our lives will come to an eternal end is what makes us...us, and what makes everything what it is. Everything dies, everything ends, and only when you can truely accept that, in my opinion, can you realize the true beauty is all around you just waiting for you to tap into it (Actually, I do have some ideas involving a universe that wasn't created and can't be destroyed, though another topic entirely XD).